Midfielder Tomáš Souček insists the West Ham United players have their sights firmly set on claiming a third successive Premier League win when Burnley arrive in town on Sunday afternoon.
The 29-year-old scored a sensational late screamer to power the Hammers towards victory at Everton in their last domestic clash last weekend, following an entertaining 4-2 home triumph over Brentford that brought an unwanted six-game winless run to an end.
A narrow 1-0 defeat in the first leg of the Club’s UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie with SC Freiburg has somewhat curtailed such winning momentum, but Souček believes a strong showing against the Clarets could boost their chances of progressing through Thursday’s reverse fixture, and also strengthen their already-encouraging league position.
He said: “We’re all focused on securing a hat-trick of Premier League wins. We’re at home, so we’re confident we can go for it, and we know a good result will help us in the table and give us a good all-round lift.
“After the new year we struggled, so to get back to winning ways against Brentford and Everton was brilliant, and I hope we’re able to do it again back in the league.
“People may expect us to win, but we know it’s going to be a tough game - every game in the Premier League is. We’ll try to concentrate on ourselves, but they are fighting for their lives and they carry lots of threats.”
Burnley indeed are sure to come out fighting at London Stadium, with Vincent Kompany’s men searching for a first three-point haul of 2024 that they hope will help bridge the current eleven-point gap between them and safety.
Souček’s aforementioned strike at Goodison Park marked his sixth of the top-flight season, and ninth in all competitions, and while he is eager to add to his tally he is buoyed by the depth of goalscoring talent throughout the Irons’ squad.
The Czech Republic international added: “I don’t always get so many goals, and I think that one at Everton was definitely up there with my best. Obviously the main thing is making sure the team gets the right result.
“We have lots of great players at the top end of the pitch. Lucas Paquetá is incredible, and so are Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen.
“Jarrod has been unbelievable at the Club since he signed, and he can play in a variety of positions. His numbers this season are brilliant, and I really hope he’s rewarded with a call-up to the England squad this month and also for the European Championships in the summer.”
